Athlete

Welcome to Human R.A.C.E., our engine to drive Respect, Acceptance, Change and Equality for people with intellectual disabilities. We are more similar than we are different, so why discriminate? Hear our voices. Feel our fears. Share our joy as we race to the finish line.

Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt. When I was nine years old, I almost drowned during a swimming competition. The incident traumatized me. Since then, I developed a terrible phobia of the water.

How would you feel if a doctor told you that your child might not ever be able to tie their own shoelaces? My parents heard exactly that from a doctor, when I was three years old, and diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

My name is Abhishek Gogoi. I am from Assam, India. I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child. I was told that, as a toddler, my parents had to watch as I missed one developmental milestone after another.

Give us the confidence to not just survive but thrive in life. I was born a healthy baby, and my early developments were considered normal. However, as I grew older, my parents found it increasingly difficult to deal with my eccentric behaviors.